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RESOURCES: Wildlife Crossing

Every June, birders across the country polish their binoculars, lace up their boots, and head off to count birds. The results from the Breeding Bird Survey, an annual event since 1966, reveal changes in bird populations across the country. Ornithologists can access and analyze the findings of surveys through 1999 at the Web site of the U.S. Geological Survey's Patuxent Wildlife Research Center in Laurel, Maryland.

Other site offerings include plenty of basic information on identification and natural history for a variety of wildlife. The vermilion flycatcher, a show-off from the Southwest, is covered in the illustrated guide to North American birds, which also supplies video, audio of songs, and distribution maps. Frogs and toads get their due as well. For example, there's a new key to the hard-to-identify North American tadpoles, amphibian population surveys, and information on the problem of disappearing amphibians. To find out how toxic chemicals harm wildlife, check out the site's Contaminant Exposure and Effects database, compiled from more than 6000 papers and reports.